Man dies in Olympic National Park after kayak overturns in cold Lake Crescent water
Park officials say Lake Crescent's water temperature is usually near 50 degrees this time of the year and any sudden immersion into cold water could affect a person's breathing.
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A New York man is dead after park officials said his kayak overturned in Lake Crescent, and efforts to find him were unsuccessful.
On Friday afternoon, officials at Olympic National Park in Washington State were notified of an overturned kayaker on Lake Crescent near the Log Cabin Resort.
Travis Valenti, 37, was said to be kayaking with his fiancee when his kayak began taking on water a quarter-mile offshore, and he was forced to abandon it.
"As Mr. Valenti’s fiancee attempted rescue, her kayak overturned, resulting in her also entering the water," park officials said.
FILE – Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington.
(Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Officials said Valenti's fiancee could swim to shore, but he could not.
Search efforts were conducted Friday and Saturday but were eventually called off.
"Lake Crescent is a deep and very cold body of water with surface water temperatures near 50 degrees this time of year," national park officials said in a statement. "Sudden immersion into cold water will impact a person’s breathing and, over time, their ability to move extremities. Boaters should … understand the risks of recreating on large bodies of water, such as underwater hazards, wind, waves, and water temperature.
Neither Valenti nor his fiancee were said to be wearing a life jacket.